Development of tools for neuroscience research

Teresa A. Murray, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Edmondson/Crump Endowed Professorship in Engineering
Director, Integrated Neuroimaging Lab
Center for Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Sciences
Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA

Mice are frequently used in preclinical trials and for basic science, especially when studying the brain. Yet, studies  that  involve  imaging  the  mouse  brain  must generally    be  conducted    using  slice    preparations  because it is an otherwise deep and dark place. Dr. Murray will talk about how her lab is overcoming this problem by using different materials and 3D printing to create a permanently implanted micro-lens system. They have coupled this with multiphoton microscopy to visualize newborn neurons migrating in the mouse brain. This talk will cover elements of materials,  biology,  optical  design,  and  physics.  Come  to  the  talk  and  engage  in  a  lively multidisciplinary discussion.

In vivo, time-lapse images of fluorescently labeled newborn cell migrating in a mouse brain. Scale bar 10 m (Murray and Kemp, unpublished)

Dr. Murray is the Director of the Integrated Neuroscience and Imaging Laboratory at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. Her lab develops tools for neuroscience research and is also conducting studies on the type of stem cells that occur naturally in the brain. Dr. Murray received a BS in Bioengineering in 2002 and a PhD in Bioengineering from Arizona State University as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. She then went on to a postdoctoral position at Yale University in the lab of Michael Levene. There she learned how to implant microlenses in mice for acute imaging, and she developed a way to overcome a serious optical aberration that degraded resolution in 3D images. She now leads a team of graduate researchers who have developed a permanently implantable lens system.

In addition to her work in the lab, Dr. Murray is the President of Alpha Eta Mu Beta, the National Biomedical Engineering Honor Society and serves on the Ethics Committee for the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). She has instituted several programs at the national level,  including student  educational  sessions during  the BMES Annual Meeting on ethics related to emerging technologies and on current public policy issues.